JP6711349B2 - Force display device - Google Patents

Description

The present technology relates to a force sense presentation device that presents a force sense in a specific direction to a user.

The portable device described in Patent Document 1 includes a force sense generator that linearly moves two weights with two ball screw structures. By translating the two weights in the same direction, this device can give the user a sense of force generated in the direction of the reaction due to the translational motion.

Patent No. 4692605

However, the device of Patent Document 1 requires two ball screw structures on both sides of the device housing and requires synchronous control for translational movement of the two weights by them, resulting in a large control load.

An object of the present technology is to provide a force sense presentation device having a novel structure that does not require a large control load such as synchronous control.

In order to achieve the above object, a force sense presentation device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a housing structure, a weight, and a drive unit.
The weight is provided in the housing structure or built in the housing structure.
The drive unit includes a first support unit configured of a pair of support structures that supports a first side of the weight and a second side facing the first side, and at least one of the pair of support structures. Is configured to include an actuator capable of giving a biased acceleration to the weight.
That is, even if the actuators are connected to both the first side and the second side, the two actuators and the weight are mechanically connected and integrated, so that a large control load such as synchronous control is not required. .

The actuator may be configured to generate a first unbalanced acceleration in a direction from the first side to the second side of the weight or from the second side to the first side.
Thereby, the driving direction of the weight by the driving unit is determined, and the presentation direction of the force sense is determined.

When one of the pair of support structures is the actuator, the other of the pair of support structures is configured to be driven in an axial direction including the direction of the first unbalanced acceleration. You may have a part.
This makes it possible to reduce the motion loss of the weight and to displace the weight largely in the axial direction including the direction of the eccentric acceleration.

The passive drive unit may have a linear motion guide structure, a ball bush structure, a self-lubricating bearing structure, or an anisotropic elastic modulus material.

The force sense presentation device includes a second support portion formed of a pair of support structures respectively provided on a third side of the weight different from the first side and the second side and a fourth side facing the third side. It may be further provided.

The pair of support structures forming the second support portion may each have a slide structure that slides in an axial direction including the direction of the first unbalanced acceleration.

At least one of the pair of support structures forming the second support portion has a second weight in the direction from the third side to the fourth side of the weight or from the fourth side to the third side. It may be configured to include an actuator capable of giving a biased acceleration.
The pair of support structures forming the first support portion may each have a slide structure that slides in an axial direction including the direction of the second unbalanced acceleration.
Thereby, even if the movable shaft of the weight is biaxial (multi-axis), the connection between the first support portion and the weight does not hinder the movement of the weight by the actuator provided in the second support portion, resulting in an operational loss. Can be reduced.

The slide structure may be a linear motion guide structure, a ball bush structure, a self-lubricating bearing structure, or an anisotropic elastic modulus material.
In particular, the use of the anisotropic elastic modulus material greatly contributes to downsizing of the force sense presentation device.

Both of the pair of support structures forming the first support section may include the actuator.
By providing the actuators on both the first side and the second side of the weight, it becomes possible to generate a large driving force. Further, as described above, there is no need for synchronous control.

Both of the pair of support structures forming the second support section may include the actuator.
By providing the actuators on both sides of the weight on the third side and the fourth side, it becomes possible to generate a large driving force. Further, as described above, there is no need for synchronous control.

The weight may be a component forming a part of the housing structure or a component built in the housing structure.
Since the component is used as a weight, it is not necessary to use a separate weight. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the portable terminal device that is the force sense presentation device.

The force sense presentation device may be a mobile terminal device, and the component may be a battery, a control board, a display panel, or a touch panel.

The actuator may include a piezoelectric element and a shim.
The shim may have a fixing portion fixed to the housing structure, an attaching portion to which the piezoelectric element is attached, and a bending portion provided between the fixing portion and the attaching portion.
Since the fixing portion and the mounting portion are integrated by the shim having the bent portion, the number of parts of the actuator can be reduced. Further, the actuator can be made low-profile and downsized, and the force sense presentation device can be downsized.

The actuator may be configured to vibrate with a displacement smaller than a height difference between the fixed portion and the mounting portion, which is formed by the bent portion.

The bent portion may be provided between the attachment portion and the fixed portion by bending at least two places of the shim.
This allows the shim to have the fixing portion, the attaching portion, and the bent portion with a simple structure.

The bent portion may have a linear shape, a curved shape, or a bellows shape between the attachment portion and the fixed portion.

The fixing portion may be fixed to the housing structure by welding, adhesion with an adhesive, mechanical engagement, or embedding.
With this, the fixing portion is fixed to the housing structure with a simple structure, which contributes to downsizing of the actuator and the force sense presentation device.

The shim may have two or more attachment portions and one fixing portion common between the two attachment portions.
As a result, these actuators can be miniaturized in the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements.

The shim may have an opening.
Thereby, the weight and/or the rigidity of the shim can be adjusted at the time of manufacturing the actuator, and the displacement amount and the elastic force can be adjusted.

As described above, according to the present technology, it is possible to provide a force sense presentation device that does not require a large control load such as synchronous control.

Note that the effects described here are not necessarily limited, and may be any effects described in the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a force sense presentation device according to a first embodiment of the present technology. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the force sense presentation device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the actuator. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a specific moment when the weight vibrates. FIG. 5A shows a force sense presentation device having a slide structure, and FIG. 5B shows a configuration of a device having no slide structure. FIG. 6A shows the amount of displacement of the weight of the device having the slide structure shown in FIG. 5A and the acceleration, which is the second derivative of the amount of displacement with time. FIG. 6B shows the amount of displacement of the weight of the device without the slide structure shown in FIG. 5B. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the force sense presentation device according to the present embodiment is applied to, for example, a mobile terminal device. 8A to 8C show vibration states of the built-in components in which the actuators are connected to different positions. 9A and 9B show a form of a force sense presentation device in which one of a pair of support structures on both sides of the weight has an actuator and the other has a passive drive unit. FIG. 10 shows a form of the force sense presentation device in which the support structures on both sides in the uniaxial direction of the weight have actuators, and the support structures on the other sides of the uniaxial direction have passive drive parts. FIG. 11 shows a form of a force sense presentation device in which each biaxial support structure has an actuator and an anisotropic elastic modulus material. FIG. 12 shows an example of an anisotropic elastic modulus material. 13A and 13B show another example of the anisotropic elastic modulus material. FIG. 14: is a top view which shows the principal part of the force sense presentation apparatus provided with the weight or component which has an asymmetrical shape in the vibration direction. FIG. 15 shows a force sense presentation device according to yet another embodiment. FIG. 16 is a side view or a cross-sectional view showing an actuator according to another embodiment, which is connected to the housing structure. 17A is a plan view of a shim according to one embodiment, and FIG. 17B is a side view of the shim. FIG. 18 shows a shim according to a mode in which the inclination angle θ of the bent portion is larger than 90°. FIG. 19 is a table showing the dimensional forms of the three bent portions of the Invar shim. 20A to 20E show a plurality of examples of the fixing structure of the fixing portion of the shim. FIG. 21 is a side view or a sectional view showing an actuator according to still another embodiment. FIG. 22 is a side view showing a shim of an actuator according to yet another embodiment. FIG. 23 is a plan view showing an actuator according to yet another embodiment. 24A to 24C show the configuration of a force sense presentation device that uses an actuator according to another embodiment described above (without a slide structure). 25A to 25C show the configuration of a force sense presentation device that uses an actuator according to another embodiment described above (with a slide structure).

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings.

1. Force presentation device according to one embodiment

1.1) Structure of force sense presentation device

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a force sense presentation device according to an embodiment of the present technology. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the force sense presentation device 100 shown in FIG. The force sense presentation device 100 includes a housing structure 10, a weight 20 (inertial load) built in the housing structure 10, and a drive unit capable of supporting and driving the weight 20 in the housing structure 10. And 30.

The housing structure 10 has, for example, a rectangular shape, and is configured by an outer casing itself or a chassis or frame integrally attached to the outer casing. The weight 20 is typically configured in a rectangular plate shape that matches the housing structure 10, but may have any shape.

The drive unit 30 has a first support unit 31 and a second support unit 32 that support the weight 20. The first support portion 31 has a pair of support structures 315 connected to the first side 21 of the weight 20 and the second side 22 facing the first side 21 in the x-axis direction. The second support portion 32 has a pair of support structures 325 connected to the third side 23 of the weight 20 and the fourth side 24 facing the third side 23 in the y-axis direction.

The pair of support structures 315 of the first support portion 31 each include, for example, an X actuator 35x. Similarly, the pair of support structures 325 of the second support portion 32 each include a Y actuator 35y. Piezoelectric actuators are used as these actuators, for example, and all have the same basic configuration. The size may be different between the X actuator 35x and the Y actuator 35y. For convenience of description, when referring to any one of the X actuator 35x and the Y actuator 35y, the term "actuator 35" is simply used.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the actuator 35. The actuator 35 has, for example, a plate-shaped piezoelectric element 31 and connecting portions 33 and 34 to which the piezoelectric element 31 is connected. The connection parts 34 are provided at both ends of the piezoelectric element 31, for example, and are fixed to the housing structure 10 (see FIG. 1A). The connecting portion 33 is provided, for example, in the central portion of the piezoelectric element 31, and is connected to the weight 20 via a slide structure described later. Although not shown, the piezoelectric element 31 is provided with an input terminal for an electric signal, and a drive signal is input thereto. As a result, the actuator 35 can vibrate in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 with the connecting portions 34, 34 as nodes and the connecting portion 33 as an antinode. That is, referring to FIG. 2, the weight 20 can vibrate in two axes of x and y axes, that is, in any direction, amplitude, and acceleration in the xy plane.
As will be described later, the actuator 35 may include the piezoelectric element 31 and a shim (not shown). In this case, the actuator 35 may have a unimorph structure in which one piezoelectric element is provided on one side of the shim, or a bimorph structure in which two piezoelectric elements are provided on both sides of the shim.

The configuration of the actuator 35 is just an example, and devices having various shapes, sizes, and structures using the piezoelectric element 31 can be applied.

By using the piezoelectric device as the actuator 35 as described above, the response speed of the actuator can be increased as compared with a device using, for example, an eccentric motor or a linear motor. Regarding the response speed of the piezoelectric device, a response speed of 5 ms or less can be realized.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the pair of support structures 315 (see FIG. 1) of the first support portion 31 has a Y slide structure 31y. The pair of support structures 325 of the second support portion 32 each have an X slide structure 32x. In FIG. 1, illustration of these slide structures is omitted.

The Y slide structure 31y has a guide portion that extends along the y axis for sliding with respect to the connection portion 33 of the X actuator 35x. The X slide structure 32x has a guide portion extending along the x axis for sliding with respect to the connection portion 33 of the Y actuator 35y. These guide portions are fixed to the first side 21, the second side 22, the third side 23, and the fourth side 24 of the weight 20, respectively.

As the slide structure, a known structure such as a linear motion guide structure, a ball bush structure, or a self-lubricating bearing structure can be applied.

1.2) Driving operation by the driving unit

1.2.1) About partial acceleration

In the force sense presentation device 100 according to the present embodiment, the weight 20 vibrates with translational movement along the x direction by driving the X actuator 35x. Further, the weight 20 vibrates with translational movement along the y direction by driving the Y actuator 35y.

In general, an intended force sensation does not occur during a steady vibration operation with the same amplitude and frequency. Taking an eccentric motor which is rotating body as an example, always redirect multiplication become centripetal force of the eccentric load (Delta] m) and a centripetal acceleration (rω ²⁾ (Δmrω ²⁾ with time, can be detected as a vibration, direction It is not a haptic presentation with sex.

In the translational motion of the inertial load (m), a difference (a1-a2) is set between the forward acceleration (a1) and the backward acceleration (a2), and the vibration is continuously operated, so that It is considered that a directional force (m (a1-a2)), that is, a force due to an eccentric acceleration, is generated and detected as a force sense.

If the acceleration is integrated for a certain period of time, its value becomes zero, and no force is actually generated. Therefore, it is presumed that the perceived force is a kind of illusion by the human perception mechanism. Regarding the generation principle of virtual force sensation, there is a relationship between the stimulus and the intensity of sensation that accompanies it, called Stevens's power law. It is speculated that the integrated value of the measured acceleration becomes zero, but the integrated value of the perceived sensation does not become zero, and it may be felt as force. Another factor is the stimulus masking effect. This is a phenomenon in which a weak stimulus immediately after a strong stimulus is masked (hard to be perceived). It is considered that the force sense is detected by these human perception mechanisms.

As described above, it is possible to generate a partial acceleration by generating a difference between the forward acceleration and the backward acceleration of the vibration. The present technology applies the generation principle of the partial acceleration to the force sense presentation device 100. For example, when attempting to present a force sensation in the + (or −) direction on the x-axis, the force sensation providing apparatus 100 causes the X actuator 35x to cause a partial acceleration (first eccentric acceleration) in the + (or −) direction of the x-axis. ) Is generated. Further, when the force sense presentation device 100 tries to present a force sense in the + (or −) direction on the y axis, the force sense presentation device 100 moves in the + (or −) direction of the y axis by the Y actuator 35y. A partial acceleration (second partial acceleration) is generated.

Further, the force sense presentation device 100 can simultaneously drive the X actuator 35x and the Y actuator 35y to generate a combined bias acceleration of the x and y axes, and present the force sense in the combined direction. ..

1.2.2) Operation of each support structure when driven by the drive unit

4A and 4B are diagrams showing a specific moment when the weight 20 vibrates.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the X actuator 35x drives to move the weight 20 along the x axis (for example, in the upward direction in the drawing), so that the second support portion 32 slides the X slide structure 32x. As a result, the weight 20 can smoothly move along the x-axis direction. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4B, the Y actuator 35y is driven to move the weight 20 along the y-axis (for example, in the right direction in the drawing), so that the X slide structure 32x of the first support portion 31 is moved. The sliding operation allows the weight 20 to move smoothly along the y-axis direction. As described above, in the present embodiment, the drive loss can be reduced as compared with the case where there is no slide structure.

In this embodiment, the movements of the two X actuators 35x are the same. The movements of the two Y actuators 35y are the same. The same movement means that the two actuators move in substantially the same amplitude and in the same direction.

As described above, when the weight 20 accelerates in the x-axis + direction moving path during vibration in the x-axis direction, when the acceleration in the x-axis + direction moving path is greater than the acceleration in the x-axis-direction moving path, a partial acceleration occurs in the x-axis + direction. Occurs, which presents a force sensation in the x-axis + direction. Further, when the weight 20 is vibrating in the y-axis direction and the acceleration in the movement path of the weight 20 in the y-axis+ direction is larger than the acceleration in the movement path of the y-axis− direction, an unbalanced acceleration occurs in the y-axis+ direction, This presents a force sensation in the y-axis + direction.

1.3) Summary

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the actuators 35 are connected to both sides of the weight 20, since the two actuators 35 and the weight 20 are mechanically connected and integrated, a large synchronization control or the like is required. No control load is required.

In the present embodiment, since the X actuators 35x are provided on both sides of the weight 20 in the first support portion 31, for example, a larger driving force can be generated as compared with the case where only one X actuator 35x is provided. The same applies to the second support portion 32.

In the present embodiment, since a piezoelectric actuator is used as the actuator 35, the actuator 35 can be arranged in a narrow gap between the housing structure 10 and the weight 20, and the force sense presentation device 100 can be downsized. ..

In the present embodiment, the first support portion 31 has a pair of Y slide structures 31y, and the second support portion 32 has a pair of X slide structures 32x. Therefore, when vibrating only in the x-axis direction, the weight 20 can be largely displaced in the x-axis direction, and the movement of the weight 20 in the y-axis direction different from the axis can be restricted. Further, when vibrating only in the y-axis direction, the weight 20 can be largely displaced in the y-axis direction, and movement of the weight 20 in the x-axis direction different from the axis can be restricted.

In addition to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a pseudo force sense generating device described in Japanese Patent No. 4413105 as another patent document transmits the rotational power of a motor to a rotating member (disc) and rotates the rotational power of the rotating member. It is configured to transmit to a link mechanism (two links) connected on the circumference of the member. With this, a crank slider structure is realized, and a weight 20 is attached to the end of the sliding link mechanism. In such a device, the volume of the power conversion structure realized as the crank slider is large, and it is difficult to downsize the device. Further, for example, the two links generate acceleration in a direction orthogonal to the acceleration direction of the weight 20, so that this becomes extra acceleration and hinders the efficiency of linear movement of the weight 20.

In addition, the force sense presentation device 100 according to the present technology does not necessarily include the above-described slide structure as an essential element, and it is essential that the pair of support structures 315 (and/or 325) are provided on both sides of the weight 20. Is an element of.

1.4) Experimental example of displacement of weight

The present inventors used a force sense presentation device 100 having the above-described slide structure and a device not having the slide structure to examine the displacement amount of the weight 20A thereof by an experiment. 5A and 5B show a configuration example used in this experiment. FIG. 5A shows a configuration of a force sense presentation device having slide structures 31y and 32x, and FIG. 5B shows a configuration of a device having no slide structure (hereinafter, referred to as a device according to a comparative example).

In this experiment, the weight 20A having a substantially square outer shape was used, and the housing structure 10A having a substantially square outer shape was also used accordingly. A linear motion guide structure was used as the slide structures 31y and 32x of the apparatus of FIG. 5A. As shown in FIG. 5B, the device according to the comparative example does not have a slide structure, and the actuator 35 is directly connected to the weight 20A. The weight of the weight 20A was set to 18 g.

6A shows the amount of displacement of the weight 20A of the device having a slide structure, and FIG. 6B shows the amount of displacement of the weight 20A of the device according to the comparative example. 6A and 6B, in addition to the displacement amount, the output voltage (V) from the control unit (not shown) to the drive unit 30 and the acceleration (G) are shown. The acceleration is measured by an accelerometer in addition to the second-order differentiation of the displacement amount with time. These experimental results show the results of driving in only one x or y axis.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in the comparative example, the partial acceleration was 2.9 (G), whereas as shown in FIG. 6A, in the device having the slide structures 31y and 32x, the partial acceleration was 15.0 (G). there were. Since the slide structures 31y and 32x are provided, the connection of the actuator 35 in the axial direction (y-axis direction) different from the driving direction (for example, the x-axis direction) does not hinder the driving force in the driving direction. It is possible to obtain a large bias acceleration.

As a result, the force sense presentation device 100 according to the present embodiment can present a greater force sense with the same output voltage as compared with the comparative example without increasing the weight or size of the weight 20A, and thus the device can be downsized. In addition to realizing the above, it is possible to improve the electrical efficiency for driving by eliminating driving loss.

1.5) Application example of the force sense presentation device according to the present embodiment

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the force sense presentation device 100 according to the present embodiment is applied to, for example, a mobile terminal device. The portable terminal device 100A typically includes devices such as a smartphone and a tablet.

The portable terminal device 100A includes a display panel (and a touch panel) 111, a chassis 113, a rear panel 115, and the like as a housing structure 10A. In addition, the portable terminal device 100A includes, as built-in parts, a control board 201 and a battery 203 attached to the chassis 113, and these built-in parts are provided with a housing structure via a drive unit 30 (an actuator 35 as a support structure). Connected to 10A.

Here, an X actuator 35x is provided as the drive unit 30 shown by a solid line, that is, a pair of support structures 315 that drive only in the x-axis direction. Of course, a pair of support structures 325 having a Y actuator 35y for driving in the y-axis direction as shown by the one-dot chain line may be provided, and two-axis driving may be possible. The slide structure described above may or may not be provided.

8A, for example, among the built-in parts of the portable terminal device 100A, the X actuators 35x (see FIG. 7) are connected to both sides of the battery 203 in the x-axis direction, and are connected to the control board 201. Shows no morphology. Thereby, only the battery 203 can be vibrated. In this case, it is preferable that the battery 203 and the control board 201 be electrically connected by, for example, a flexible printed board. In the case of biaxial drive, the Y actuators 35y are connected to both sides of the battery 203 in the y-axis direction.

FIG. 8B shows a form in which, for example, among the built-in components, the X actuators 35x (see FIG. 7) are connected to both sides of the control board 201 in the x-axis direction, but are not connected to the battery 203. Thereby, only the control board 201 can be vibrated. In this case, it is preferable that the battery 203 and the control board 201 be electrically connected by, for example, a flexible printed board.

FIG. 8C shows a form in which, for example, the battery 203 and the control board 201 are fixed and the whole of them vibrates among the above-mentioned built-in parts. In this case, for example, the X actuators 35x may be connected to both sides of the control board 201 in the x-axis direction, or the X actuators 35x may be connected to both sides of the battery 203 in the x-axis direction.

As described above, since the component of the portable terminal device 100A is used as the weight, it is not necessary to use a separate weight. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the mobile terminal device 100A that is the force sense presentation device.

2. Force feedback device according to various other embodiments

Next, a force sense presentation device according to various other embodiments will be described. In the following description, elements that are substantially similar to the members and functions included in the force sense presentation device 100 according to the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted, and different points will be described. I will explain mainly.

2.1) Other Embodiments 1

For example, as described with reference to FIG. 7, the drive unit 30 may be configured to drive only one axis. In this case, the drive unit 30 may include actuators on both sides of the weight 20 as the pair of support structures 315.

Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, one of the pair of support structures may have the actuator 35 and the other may be the passive drive unit 45. In the force sense presentation device 100B shown in FIG. 9A, a spring structure, particularly a leaf spring structure, is adopted as the passive drive unit 45. The passive drive unit may have a coil spring structure.

In the force sense presentation device 100C shown in FIG. 9B, a plurality of (for example, two) slide structures 46 are provided on the same side of the weight 20 as the passive drive section. Of course, the number of slide structures 46 may be one. Examples of the slide structure include the linear motion guide structure, the ball bush structure, and the self-lubricating bearing structure as described above.

Alternatively, although not shown, a plurality of actuators 35 are connected to one side (for example, the first side 21 (see FIG. 1)) of the weight 20, and a plurality of actuators are connected to the opposite side (for example, the second side 22) thereof. May be. The number of the actuators 35 on both sides may be the same or different. Alternatively, the support structure connected to the opposite side of the weight 20 may be one or a plurality of passive drive units instead of the actuator 35.

2.2) Other embodiment 2

Although not shown, in the case where the drive unit is configured as a biaxial drive of x and y axes, for example, two pairs of support structures (a set of an actuator and a passive drive unit) shown in FIG. 9A or 9B are provided. It may be.

2.3) Other embodiment 3

As shown in FIG. 10, in the force sense presentation device 100D in which the drive unit is configured to be driven by only one axis, a pair of support structures on the x axis are respectively configured by actuators 35, and a pair on the y axis are paired. The support structure may be a passive drive unit (for example, the slide structure 46) that drives in the x-axis direction.

2.4) Other embodiment 4
The force sense presentation device 100E shown in FIG. 11 includes X actuators 35x as a pair of support structures of the first support portion 31 and Y actuators 35y as a pair of support structure of the second support portions 32, respectively. An anisotropic elastic modulus material 50 as a slide structure is used as a connection portion (connection portion with the weight 20) provided in each actuator 35.

In the case of an isotropic elastic modulus material, the longitudinal elastic modulus E and the lateral elastic modulus G have a relationship of G=E/{2(1+ν)}. ν is the Poisson's ratio. When the material is viewed in plan, the longitudinal elastic modulus means the elastic coefficient in the lateral direction of the material, and the lateral elastic coefficient means the elastic coefficient in the longitudinal direction of the material. For elastic materials such as rubber, ν ≈ 0.5, and simply G ≈ E/3.

As the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50, for example, a material having a smaller transverse elastic modulus than the longitudinal elastic modulus, that is, a material satisfying G<E/3, for example, is used. E is set to, for example, about 20 KPa, but is not limited to this.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an example of such an anisotropic elastic modulus material. The anisotropic elastic modulus material 50A has a ladder structure. Specifically, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 12, the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50A has a plurality of holes 52 that are long in the y direction and are arranged in the x direction when viewed in the xy plane, for example. .. Although the hole 52 preferably penetrates in the z direction, it is not essential that the hole 52 penetrates.

In the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50 thus configured, the lateral elastic modulus in the x direction is smaller than the longitudinal elastic modulus in the y direction. Therefore, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 12, the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50 is easily elastically deformed in the x direction, but is hard to be deformed in the y direction.

FIG. 13A is a plan view (cross-sectional view) showing another example of the anisotropic elastic modulus material. The anisotropic elastic modulus material 50B is a synthetic resin material containing disk-shaped fine particles 54 arranged so as to have directionality as much as possible. The upper part of FIG. 13B is a side view (cross-sectional view) of the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50B. As described above, depending on the arrangement of the disk-shaped fine particles 54, for example, as shown in the bottom of FIG. Material 50B can be realized.

2.5) Other embodiment 5

FIG. 14: is a top view which shows the principal part of the force sense presentation apparatus provided with the weight which has an asymmetrical shape in a vibration direction. For example, as a control board of a mobile terminal device, there is an atypical board instead of a rectangular board. When such atypical substrate 204 is used as a weight, the atypical substrate is positioned so that the center of gravity P of the asymmetric substrate 204 having an asymmetrical shape is located on the axis connecting the connecting portions (fulcrums) of the pair of support structures 315. An arrangement relationship between the 204 and the drive unit 30 is configured. This is the same in the case of biaxial driving, and the atypical substrate 204 and the drive unit 30 are arranged so that the center of gravity P is located on the axis connecting the pair of support structures 325 (shown by the one-dot chain line in the figure). Relationships are constructed.

When a plurality of support structures are connected to one side of the odd-shaped substrate 204, the center of gravity of each connection portion (each fulcrum) of the plurality of support structures may be considered. If the center of gravity of the weight is defined as "one-sided center of gravity", it is designed so that the center of gravity of the weight is located on the axis connecting the one-sided center of gravity and the connecting portion of the support structure connected to the other side of the weight. Good. Alternatively, the weight may be designed so that the center of gravity of the weight is located on the axis connecting the center of gravity of the one side and the center of gravity (the center of gravity on the other side) of the connecting portions of the plurality of support structures connected to the other side of the weight.

2.6) Other embodiment 6

FIG. 15 shows a main part of a force sense presentation device according to yet another embodiment. In this example, a pair of support structures 315 are arranged on the first side 21 of the weight 20 and the second side 22 that is the opposite side of the weight 20 at rotationally symmetric positions around the center of gravity of the weight 20. The actuator 35 is applied to the pair of support structures 315, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 15, in this force sense presentation device, the force sense in the rotation direction of the weight 20 is made by making the vibration directions of the actuators 35 opposite to each other and generating a partial acceleration similarly to the above embodiments. Can be presented.

2.7) Various other embodiments

The present technology is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various other embodiments can be realized.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the x-axis drive and the y-axis drive that are orthogonal to each other are taken as an example of the biaxial drive, but the drive is not necessarily limited to the form in which the axes are orthogonal to each other. That is, the axial direction in which the pair of support structures is attached is not limited to the form in which the axial direction in which the other pair of support structures is attached is orthogonal to each other.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the driving unit 30 of uniaxial or biaxial drive is described as an example, but triaxial drive may be used. This makes it possible to present a three-dimensional force sense. In this case, for example, the actuator having the z-axis support structure of the third axis may have the same configuration as the piezoelectric actuator described above, but may be, for example, a disk-shaped piezoelectric actuator.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the battery 203 and/or the control board 201 is used as a weight, but a display panel, a touch panel, and other components provided as components in the housing structure may be used as a weight.

It is also possible to combine at least two characteristic parts among the characteristic parts of the respective forms described above. For example, the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50 according to the fourth embodiment may be applied as the passive drive unit in any of the first to third, fifth and sixth embodiments.

Alternatively, a slide structure other than the anisotropic elastic modulus material 50 may be applied to the support structure of the fifth or sixth embodiment.

3. Actuator according to another embodiment

FIG. 16 is a side view or a cross-sectional view showing an actuator according to another embodiment, which is connected to the housing structure 10. The actuator 65 is, for example, a piezoelectric actuator including a plurality of piezoelectric elements 61 and a shim 62 that supports these. As the piezoelectric actuator, a bimorph structure in which two piezoelectric elements 61 are provided is shown here, but a unimorph structure composed of one piezoelectric element may be used. 17A is a plan view of shim 62, and FIG. 17B is a side view of shim 62.

The shim 62 has a long shape, for example. The shim 62 has a fixed portion 62a fixed to the housing structure 10, an attachment portion 62b to which the piezoelectric element 61 is attached, and a bent portion 62c provided between the fixed portion 62a and the attachment portion 62b.

The fixing portions 62a are provided at both ends of the shim 62, for example. As shown in FIG. 16, for example, two piezoelectric elements 61 are provided so as to sandwich the attachment portion 62b of the shim 62 with an adhesive layer 63 made of, for example, an adhesive agent interposed therebetween.

The bent portion 62c is bent at two places and is configured to connect from the fixed portion 62a to the mounting portion 62b, and the longitudinal direction of the fixed portion 62a and the longitudinal direction of the mounting portion 62b are parallel to each other. The respective longitudinal directions of the fixed portion 62a and the attachment portion 62b do not necessarily have to be parallel. If these longitudinal directions are the y directions in FIG. 16, the displacement direction due to the vibration of the actuator 65 by the piezoelectric element 61 is the x direction substantially orthogonal to the y direction. The portion of the bent portion 62c that is inclined with respect to the y-axis is typically provided in a straight line.

One form of the size of the shim 62 is shown below (see FIGS. 17A and 17B). The shim 62 in this case is typically made of metal. As the metal, Invar, 42 alloy, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy or the like is used.

Length a: 10 mm to 50 mm, more preferably 20 mm to 40 mm
Width b: 1 mm to 10 mm, more preferably 2 mm to 5 mm
Thickness c: 0.1 mm to 1 mm, more preferably 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm
Height d: 1 mm to 10 mm, more preferably 1.5 mm to 5 mm
Length e of the fixed portion 62a: 0.5 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 1 mm to 3 mm
Length f of the bent portion 62c in the x direction: 0 mm to 10 mm, more preferably 0 mm to 5 mm
Inclination angle θ of the bent portion 62c with respect to the x direction: 180°<θ<0°

When the length f in the x direction of the bent portion 62c is 0 mm, the inclination angle θ is 0°.

The inclination angle θ may be larger than 90° as shown in FIG.

The height d is determined by the amount of displacement when the actuator 65 operates at a desired vibration frequency, with the thickness of the piezoelectric element 61 and the thickness of the adhesive layer as parameters. Further, the height d is designed so that the piezoelectric element 61 does not come into contact with the housing structure 10 during operation. That is, the actuator 65 is configured to vibrate with a displacement smaller than the difference in height between the fixed portion 62a and the mounting portion 62b.

FIG. 19 is a table showing the dimensional forms of the three bent portions 62c of the Invar shim having a thickness of 0.2 mm and a height d of 1.54 mm. The table also shows the results of simulation analysis of natural frequencies. The physical quantity of the actuator 65 used in this simulation is as follows.

Shim: Thickness c=0.2mm, Young's modulus=145GPa, Density=8.125g/cm3, Poisson's ratio=0.3
Piezoelectric element: Thickness=0.18mm, Young's modulus: 70GPa, Density: 7.6g/cm3, Poisson's ratio: 0.3

From FIG. 19, it was confirmed that in the range of the inclination angle θ of 40° to 90°, the change rate of the natural frequency was within 4% as compared with the case of the bending angle of 90°.

As described above, in the actuator 65 according to the present embodiment, the fixing portion 62a and the mounting portion 62b are integrated by the shim 62 having the bent portion 62c, so that the number of components of the actuator 65 can be reduced. Further, the actuator 65 can be made low-profile and downsized, and the force sense presentation device can be downsized.

Since the bent portion 62c is formed by bending the shim 62 at two places, the shim 62 can have the fixed portion 62a, the mounting portion 62b, and the bent portion 62c with a simple structure.

Here, the flexural vibration type actuator disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-129971 includes a base plate and a vibration plate in addition to a shim, so that the thickness of the actuator increases and it is difficult to install it in a small and thin electronic device. Is. Further, in this actuator, since small and precise parts are used, the number of processing and assembling steps is increased and the manufacturing cost is increased.

On the other hand, in the piezoelectric actuator disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-31040, it is necessary to provide a gap between the upper surface and the lower surface of the support body and the piezoelectric element in order to increase the displacement amount although the number of parts is small, and the small and thin electronic Not suitable for built-in equipment. Further, when silicone resin is filled between the support and the piezoelectric element, it is possible that the silicone resin deteriorates due to repeated long-term vibration.

In the present technology, the shim 62 configures the fixed portion 62a, the attachment portion 62b, and the bent portion 62c, and the actuator 65 can be configured with a simple structure. Therefore, the problems described in each of the above documents can be solved.

20A to 20E show a plurality of examples of the fixing structure of the fixing portion 62a of the shim 62.

In the example shown in FIG. 20A, the fixing portion 62a is fixed to the housing structure 10 by welding. For example, when the shim 62 and the housing structure 10 are both made of metal, they are fixed by welding. When both the shim 62 and the housing structure 10 are made of resin, they are fixed by welding such as ultrasonic bonding.

In the example shown in FIG. 20B, the fixing portion 62a is fixed to the housing structure 10 with an adhesive layer 68 such as a double-sided tape. In this case, the shim 62 is not limited to metal and may be resin or rubber. Similarly, the housing structure 10 is not limited to metal.

In the example shown in FIG. 20C, the fixing portion 62a and the housing structure 10 are fixed by mechanical engagement. For example, the housing structure 10 is provided with the hook portion 69, and the hook portion 69 is engaged with the fixing portion 62a. The pair of hook portions 69 are provided in the housing structure 10 so that their respective opening surfaces face each other. The hook portion 69 may be made of the same material as the material of the housing structure 10 or may be made of a different material.

As shown in FIG. 20D, the height position of the surface of the hook portion 69 ′ may substantially match the height position of the surface (inner wall surface) of the housing structure 10. In this case, the hook portion 69′ and the housing structure 10 may be integrally formed of the same material. Metal or resin is used as the material of the housing structure 10.

In the example shown in FIG. 20E, the shim 62 is fixed to the housing structure 10 by embedding the fixing portion 62a in the housing structure 10. When the housing structure 10 is made of resin, the fixing portion 62a can be embedded in the housing structure 10 by insert molding, for example. Of course, it is not limited to insert molding.

FIG. 21 is a side view or a sectional view showing a shim of an actuator according to still another embodiment. The shim 72 has a fixed portion 72a, a mounting portion 72b, and a bellows-shaped bent portion 72c. Thereby, the displacement can be increased.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing a shim of an actuator according to yet another embodiment. The shim 82 has a plurality (two in this case) of attachment portions 82b, and the piezoelectric elements are attached to these attachment portions 82b, respectively. Further, the shim 82 has a common fixed portion 82d in addition to the fixed portions 82a provided at both ends. As a result, the driving force can be increased while reducing the size of the actuator in the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements (the left-right direction in the drawing) not shown here. The portion indicated by reference numeral 82c is a bent portion.

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing a shim of an actuator according to yet another embodiment. The shim 92 has a bent portion 92c. The bent portion 92c is provided with an opening 92e. When manufacturing the actuator, the size, shape, and/or position of the opening 92e can be appropriately adjusted. As a result, the weight and/or the rigidity of the shim 92 can be adjusted, the amount of displacement and the driving force can be adjusted, and the natural frequency of the actuator can be adjusted. The portion indicated by reference numeral 92a is a fixed portion, and the portion indicated by reference numeral 92b is an attachment portion.

The shape of the opening 92e is not limited to a circle, but may be an elongated hole, an ellipse, a slit, or the like. Position where the opening 92e is provided is not limited to the bent portion 92c, may be a mounting portion 9 2b.

4. Force feedback device using an actuator according to another embodiment

24A to 25C and 25A to 25C show the configuration of a force sense presentation device using an actuator according to another embodiment described above.

In the example shown in FIG. 24A, two actuators 65 are connected to the weight 20 so as to face each other in the x direction. Specifically, the piezoelectric element 61 of the actuator 65 is fixed to the weight 20. As a result, the actuator 65 can cause the weight 20 to generate an acceleration or a partial acceleration. In this case, the arrangement of the actuators 65 need not be symmetrical about the center of gravity of the weight 20.

The two actuators 65 may be connected to the weight 20 so as to face each other not in the x direction but in the y direction.

In the example shown in FIG. 24B, actuators 95 having shims 92 to which the plurality of piezoelectric elements shown in FIG. 22 can be attached are provided so as to face each other in the x direction. This embodiment is effective when the driving force is insufficient with one piezoelectric element 61 as compared with the weight 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 24C, similarly to the form shown in FIG. 15, the actuator 65 is provided at a rotationally symmetrical position about the center of gravity of the weight 20. With such a configuration, the weight 20 can rotate about its center of gravity within a predetermined angle range.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 25A, the two actuators 65 (X actuators 65x) are connected to the Y slide structure 81y in the first support portions provided to face each other in the x direction. In addition, two actuators 65 (Y actuators 65y) are connected to the X slide structure 81x in the second support portion provided to face each other in the y direction.

The X-slide structure 81x and the Y-slide structure 81y have the same structure, and these are simply called "slide structure" below. The slide structure 81 includes a slide base 811, and a slider 812 that moves along the slide base 811. The slide base 811 is attached to the piezoelectric element 61 of the actuator 65, and the slider 812 is attached to the weight 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 25B, in the first support portion provided so as to face each other in the x direction, actuators 95 having two piezoelectric elements 61 (see FIG. 24B) are provided at opposite sides of the weight 20, respectively. .. In addition, in the second support portion provided so as to face each other in the y direction, one actuator 65 is provided at each of opposite sides of the weight 20. A slide structure 81 is connected to each piezoelectric element.

In the example shown in FIG. 25C, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 24C, the actuator 65 and the slide structure 81 are provided at rotationally symmetric positions around the center of gravity of the weight 20. With such a configuration, the weight 20 can rotate about its center of gravity within a predetermined angle range.

The actuators shown in FIGS. 24A, B and 25A, B are preferably arranged symmetrically (mirror image symmetry) with respect to the x and/or y axis passing through the center of gravity of the weight 20. The actuator 65 shown in FIG. 25C is arranged rotationally symmetrically about the center of gravity of the weight 20, but this is not necessarily the case.

5. Various other forms of actuators or force presentation devices

In the above description, the bent portion of the shim is inclined and provided in a straight line shape or a bellows shape, but it may be provided in a curved shape.

It is also possible to combine at least two characteristic parts among the characteristic parts of the actuator and/or the force sense presentation device according to the above-described embodiments.

For example, at least one of the configurations shown in FIGS. 23 and 20A to 20E may be applied to one of the configurations of FIGS. 22, 24, and 25.

For example, actuators facing each other in the y direction may be further provided in the configuration shown in FIG. 24C or 25C. In this case, the actuators facing each other in the y direction may be arranged rotationally symmetrically about the center of gravity of the weight 20, or may be arranged symmetrically (mirror image symmetry) with respect to the x axis.

In the above, a smartphone or a tablet is given as an example of a mobile terminal device to which the force sense presentation device of the present technology is applied. However, the portable terminal device is also applicable to wearable terminals such as watches, glasses, hats, shoes, clothes, bands (bangles and rings), and the like. The invention is not limited to wearable terminals, but can be applied to digital cameras, canes for the disabled, and the like.

In addition, the present technology may have the following configurations.
(1)
Case structure,
A weight provided in the housing structure or built in the housing structure;
It has a 1st support part comprised by a pair of support structures which support the 1st side of the above-mentioned weight and the 2nd side which opposes the 1st side, and at least one of the above-mentioned pair of support structures A drive unit configured to include an actuator capable of giving a biased acceleration.
(2)
The force sense presentation device according to (1) above,
The actuator is a force sense presentation device configured to generate a first biased acceleration in a direction from the first side to the second side of the weight, or in a direction from the second side to the first side.
(3)
The force sense presentation device according to (2) above,
When one of the pair of support structures is the actuator, the other of the pair of support structures is configured to be driven in an axial direction including the direction of the first unbalanced acceleration. Haptic device having a section.
(4)
The force sense presentation device according to (3) above,
The passive drive unit is a haptic device having a linear motion guide structure, a ball bush structure, a self-lubricating bearing structure, or an anisotropic elastic modulus material.
(5)
The force sense presentation device according to (2) above,
A force sense presentation device further comprising a second support portion formed of a pair of support structures provided on a third side different from the first side and the second side of the weight and a fourth side facing the third side, respectively. ..
(6)
The force sense presentation device according to (5) above,
The pair of support structures that constitute the second support section each have a slide structure that slides in an axial direction including a direction of the first unbalanced acceleration.
(7)
The force sense presentation device according to (6) above,
At least one of the pair of support structures forming the second support portion is a second one in the direction from the third side to the fourth side of the weight or from the fourth side to the third side. Configured to include an actuator capable of imparting a biased acceleration,
The pair of support structures that constitute the first support section each have a slide structure that slides in an axial direction including the direction of the second unbalanced acceleration.
(8)
The force sense presentation device according to (6) or (7) above,
The force feedback device, wherein the slide structure is a linear motion guide structure, a ball bush structure, a self-lubricating bearing structure, or an anisotropic elastic modulus material.
(9)
The force sense presentation device according to (1) above,
The force sense presentation device in which both of the pair of support structures forming the first support portion have the actuators.
(10)
The force sense presentation device according to (5) above,
The force sense presentation device in which both of the pair of support structures forming the second support part respectively include the actuator.
(11)
The force sense presentation device according to any one of (1) to (10) above,
The force sense presentation device in which the weight is a component forming a part of the casing structure or a component built in the casing structure.
(12)
The force sense presentation device according to (11) above,
The force sense presentation device is a portable terminal device,
The force sense presentation device in which the component is a battery, a control board, a display panel, or a touch panel.
(13)
The force sense presentation device according to any one of (1) to (12) above,
The actuator is
A piezoelectric element,
A haptic device comprising: a fixing part fixed to the housing structure; a mounting part to which the piezoelectric element is mounted; and a shim having a fixing part and a bending part provided between the mounting parts.
(14)
The force sense presentation device according to (13) above,
The force sense presentation device configured to vibrate with a displacement smaller than a difference in height between the fixed portion and the attachment portion, the actuator being configured by the bent portion.
(15)
The force sense presentation device according to (13) or (14) above,
A force sense presentation device in which the bent portion is provided between the attachment portion and the fixed portion by bending at least two locations of the shim.
(16)
The force sense presentation device according to (15) above,
The force sense presentation device in which a portion of the bent portion between the attachment portion and the fixed portion is formed in a linear shape, a curved shape, or a bellows shape.
(17)
The force sense presentation device according to any one of (13) to (16),
The force sense presentation device in which the fixing portion is fixed to the housing structure by welding, adhesion with an adhesive, mechanical engagement, or embedding.
(18)
The force sense presentation device according to any one of (13) to (17),
The said shim is a force sense presentation apparatus which has two or more said attachment parts and one said fixed part common between two said attachment parts.
(19)
The force sense presentation device according to any one of (13) to (18),
The said shim is a force sense presentation apparatus which has an opening part.

10, 10A... Casing structure 20, 20A... Weight 21... First side 22... Second side 23... Third side 24... Fourth side 30... Drive part 31... First support part 31y... Y slide structure 32... 2 support part 32x...X slide structure 33,34... connection part 35x, 65x...X actuator 35y, 65y...Y actuator 35,65,95...actuator 45...passive drive part 46...slide structure 50,50A,50B...anisotropic Material having elastic coefficient of elasticity 61... Piezoelectric element 62, 72, 82, 92... Shim 62a, 72a, 82a, 92a... Fixing portion 62b, 72b, 82b, 92b... Attachment portion 62c, 72c, 82c, 92c... Bending portion 68... Adhesion Layer 69... Hook part 81... Sliding structure 92e... Opening part 100, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E... Force display device 100A... Morphological type terminal device 113... Chassis 115... Rear panel 201... Control board 203... Battery 204... Variant Substrate 315... A pair of support structures for the first support portion 325... A pair of support structures for the second support portion

Claims (4)

Housing structure,
A weight provided in the housing structure or built in the housing structure;
It is composed of a pair of support structures for supporting the first side of the weight and a second side facing the first side, and the pair of support structures are rotationally symmetrical positions or substantially rotationally symmetrical positions about the center of gravity of the weight. And a drive unit configured to include actuators that are respectively arranged in the above and that generate reverse biased accelerations . The force sense presentation device according to claim 1, wherein
Of the pair of support structures, one of the support structures that supports the first side of the weight gives a biased acceleration in the direction from the first side to the second side, and the other support structure that supports the second side of the weight. The force sense presentation device, wherein the support structure is configured to give a partial acceleration in the direction from the second side to the first side . The force sense presentation device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein
The force sense presentation device in which the weight is a component forming a part of the casing structure or a component built in the casing structure. The force sense presentation device according to claim 3 ,
The force sense presentation device is a portable terminal device,
The force sense presentation device in which the component is a battery, a control board, a display panel, or a touch panel.

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